Road to Recovery
by Scampiej
Summary: - One Shot - (Sequel to my one shot 'Heavy on my Heart'). Will has returned from Los Angeles and both boys more or less assumed that would mean thing would go to normal instantly. But when they find out that will not be that easy, will they be able to do what it takes to make sure their relationship survives?


**So, this is an one-shot continuing the my one-shot 'Heavy on my Heart'. It can be read separately, but I'd suggest reading the other one first as it deals with the aftermaths of my version of Will leaving Sonny behind and going off to Hollywood. To clear out any confusion, the italics consist of the story that happened before the current timeline, as some sort of flashback. **

**As always, thanks in advance for reading and I'd ask kindly to leave any comments down below. Always very well appreciated! xxx**

##

Road to Recovery

##

Will put his car in park and let out a breath. He checked the time and realized he was early. Too eager to be here when he left home, but now he felt his heart pump fiercely in his chest. He didn't know what to expect from all this. He didn't know what Sonny would say, if Sonny even wanted him here. All he know is that he ached to hold Sonny in his arms again. After all this time apart, all this time without any contact, Will couldn't wait to see his husband again.

When he finally realized it had turned 2 o'clock, he left the car and walked into a cold breeze. He was happy he brought an extra coat for Sonny as the weather had really turned cold the last couple of weeks. He quickly opened the door of the big building in front of him and checked in at the reception. The lady welcomed him with a friendly smile and informed him the released patients were waiting in the visitors lounge. He made his way there, still nervous of what he'd find there, before he immediately spotted the brown haired beauty that took his breath away like he always did.

'Hi' Sonny smiled slightly, before biting his lip nervously, 'Thanks for coming all the way here. I could've taken the bus, but..'

'Of course I came to pick you up, Son' Will interrupted him, 'If only because I couldn't wait to see you'

For a moment, Sonny just looked at him as if he was surprised by that, before he just looked down, 'Thank you' he ended up repeating.

Will just waited for him to get up, resisting the urge to pull him in for a hug and awkwardly took the bag that was lying next to him on the floor, 'You all ready to go home?' he asked hesitantly. Sonny nodded once, before taking the first step towards the door. Will followed swiftly, noticing how Sonny did make a small wave at the reception lady before leaving the building. Will almost forgot about the coat, but immediately noticed the shiver in Sonny's body when the cold hit him. He quickly handed him the coat and pointed him towards the car. He noticed how Sonny took a look back to the big building before getting in the car, a look in his eyes he couldn't place immediately, but didn't feel at ease in asking about it. So he went for a simple question instead when he saw how Sonny nervously tapped his knee and he buckled himself up, 'Where to? Straight home?'

Sonny finally looked up and met his eyes with a relieved glance, 'Home' he repeated softly, before he had to scrape his throat again, 'Yes, home please'

Will couldn't help but smile relieved and started the car, before driving away from the mean building and the mean therapists that took his husband away from him for such a long period. He finally was able and willing to come home to him again, home to Ari. He knew how much their baby girl had missed her daddy Sonny and couldn't wait for the two of them to be reunited in a few hours.

##

_Sonny plumped down on the edge of his bed, his feet waving in the air impatiently. His bag was packed hours ago, he was simply waiting for Will to come and get him. He'd just been there last night, but still Sonny felt nervous if Will would show up. It was clear to him something has changed, something that seemed impossible just months before. Will and he had always taken great pride in their healthy relationship, in their absolute honesty towards each other that he still could barely believe they'd be at this point just months after their wedding. _

_He knew Will wasn't comfortable talking about it, about the fact that he left Salem in a time Sonny had needed him more than he'd ever needed him before, but to Sonny that wasn't the biggest issue. The unspoken question still lingering on was, the response to Will's flee to Los Angeles when the first opportunity appeared all too eager to leave his boring life behind. How could he ever go back to this boring life and don't feel degraded. Feel he was forced back into traditional life by his boring husband._

_He was interrupted by his chain of thought when the blonde in question arrived and greeted him with a reserved smile, 'Ready to go home, handsome?' he asked. _

_Sonny just bit his lip and hopped of his bed, grabbing the bag next to him next, making Will grin of his eagerness. Just as they were about to leave, however, a nurse came to disturb their peace. She quickly handed Will the flyers Sonny had denied before and again pressed him to reconsider his options. Sonny feels a questioning look from his husband and shrugged, 'I'm fine, Will' he just commented, 'All I need is a cuddle with Arianna and a hot bath tonight'_

_Will bit his lip hesitantly, but finally let himself be convinced and handed the flyers on alcoholism and support groups back to the nurse. Sonny just smiled thankfully, before preceding him towards the car, very eager to finally go home again. _

_##_

Will slowly turns the key in the door and opens it with care. He knew that is was around the time Ari would go to bed, so he didn't want to wake her. He greeted Adrienne, who was more than eager to babysit for an hour, with a smile before noticing how Sonny hesitantly walked back into the apartment.

'Is everything okay, Son?' Will couldn't help but wonder, shifting his eyes from Sonny to Adrienne trying to understand the situation, 'Do you want something? Need something?'

Sonny bit his lip for a minute, but finally shook his head slightly, staring around the room with an awaiting look in his eyes. Will felt his heartbeat quicken and looked at Adrienne once more for support.

'Sonny, darling, why don't you sit down? I can imagine this must be overwhelming for you' Adrienne helped Will, 'Shall I leave you two alone for a minute?'

Sonny followed his mum's instructions and sat down, still without speaking a word. His eyes kept going over the room, until they finally stopped and stared at the picture frames on the coffee table.

'I put them there for Ari' Will explained, 'She loves to play with them, move them around when she's walking around the table and stuff. Just wanted her to keep seeing you and Gabi all the time'

Sonny finally looked up and met Will's eyes for the first time, a clear question in his eyes, 'I missed her' he stated softly.

Will smiled, 'She missed you too. We both did' he reassured his husband, 'You want me to get her?'

Sonny replied by shaking his head again, 'No, don't wake her' he responded, 'I'll check on her in a bit. Just let her sleep'

Will just nodded his head, before biting his lip in hesitation again. This shouldn't be so awkward, this was his husband, but yet Will had no idea what to do or say. Adrienne was the first to speak again and break the ice a little, 'So, I guess I'll leave you boys to it then' she announced, while getting up, 'I just.. Can I..'

Sonny observed her stammering with confusion, until she finally just put her hands out. He then finally got what she meant and let himself be pulled into a hug by his mother. 'I am so happy you're home again, Sonny' she spoke warmly, before she quickly gave him his space back and left the two boys alone. Sonny just scratched his neck awkwardly, before seeing Will look at him with a look he was familiar with. Will was hesitant, however, to press his luck, so Sonny just let out a breath, 'I guess I'll go check on Ari' he announced. Will just nodded, but kept his position in between Sonny and the door. Awkwardly, Sonny walked towards him and stopped when Will made no attempt to move. He recognized the eager but nervous look again and smiled slightly, responding by a slight nod. Will couldn't help but pull him into his awaiting arms eagerly and Sonny clearly let him be. After a few moments, Will felt how Sonny closed his arms around his back too and smiled slightly. It felt even better than he remembered.

##

_Sonny walked into TBD with a reluctance he didn't have before. He loved his club, he loved working with both his customers and employees and took great pride in all that he'd built up since his arrival in Salem. But lately, the work had started to rest heavy on his shoulders. Ever since he'd decided to open a second club, everything seemed to slip through his fingers. The reconstruction costs got higher by the minute, his employees seemed to have family emergency after family emergency, he himself had been in hospital a few weeks back and he started to feel more and more that Chad wasn't the business partner he'd been before. To top it off, all had happened in the same period as Will departure and so he felt like he was drowning all by himself. Sure, Will had come back, but had since taken back his old job at Sonix and started working long hours to both win back his position within the company as well as helping to provide the financial needs of the second club. As a result, he still felt like his husband, his anchor, was unavailable. _

_He chastised himself for thinking bad of Will, as he did come back to Salem for him and never once complained of the change in their finances that Sonny had caused, when his phone started to vibrate. A message, Sonny realized while getting his phone out of his pocket. __**'Will work late tonight. Marlena can take Ari for the night. Will'**_

_He couldn't help but roll his eyes at the message as he knew the underlining that wasn't written. It meant there was another lonely night for him in the cards, where it had no point of trying to stay awake to at least wish his husband goodnight. The only communication they seemed to have these days was via texts, or a fleeting moment in the morning. Usually those consisted of making the promise to talk soon and a reassurance they were okay. Sonny knew by now both were lies. He once take pride to know his husband so well he didn't need more than a look, but now he felt like he had no idea what went on in Will's mind. Was he bored with their life again, disappointed in his failing husband or just scared to admit his feelings for his husband were fading. He quickly send a message back, to at least let Will he had received the heads up, before making his way to his office. He greeted Ben with a small smile and made his way to the dreaded paperwork._

_A few hours later, Sonny had to admit bitterly his day was no exception of the previous days this week. He'd started thinking it couldn't get worse, but he was soon proved it could. The weekly turnover of club TBD turned out to be a lot less than expected and he was unpleasantly surprised with a message from the second club. Apparently the contractor he'd hired on Chad's recommendation had left the site with half his invested money. Worse of it, Chad didn't seem all that bothered with it, raising Sonny with suspicion again. He made it up to himself to have a quick talk to Victor, but his call was unpleasantly rejected. He got a swift text saying he was in a meeting and would call him back later, but Sonny could barely read the apologizing tone. Victor had warned him over and over again to be careful of a DiMera, but he'd been too stubborn to listen. His dad would call it his kind character that would always wanted to believe in the best of people, he started to realize he simply was naïve at times._

_His eye fell on the wedding picture on his desk and he automatically took a breath. Will, another person he was warned about several times and still he'd been too stubborn to listen. He scolded himself immediately for thinking bad of his husband again, and continued his stare around the room. He noticed the stacked bottles in the corner and bit his lip slightly. Almost drawn to them, he suddenly stood up and had filled a glass without even realizing it. He forced himself to put it down and took out his phone again. He heard the dial tone going for a few times, until Sonny heard the familiar voicemail message. 'Will, it's me' he heard himself start hesitantly, 'I know you're at work, but I really need to talk to you. Can you just call me back whenever you get the chance?'_

_He walked back to his desk with both hands filled, letting himself fall back into his chair. He followed the pointer on the clock hopeful, until after several minutes he realized Will wasn't going to call him back. Bitterly, he took the drink and enjoyed the way his throat burned for the first time in weeks again. _

_##_

The morning after Sonny's homecoming, Will decided to let him sleep in as long as he wanted. He hadn't slept a wink himself and simply got up to make some breakfast. Ari joined him moments later, but he managed to get her out of her crib before she could wake up her daddy Sonny. He was just feeding her whilst trying to make sure his pancakes wouldn't burn, when their bedroom door opened.

'Good morning' he spoke warmly, greeting Sonny with a smile, 'I made you breakfast'

'Thank you' Sonny nodded, clearly just woken up and shuffled towards the kitchen, 'Sorry I overslept'

'That's okay, I'm sure you needed the rest' Will responded, before finishing feeding Ari and wiping her mouth. He got up to check on the stove again, when he saw that Ari had took the opportunity to spread her arms, 'Da' she squealed with a pure happiness Will hadn't heard in a while.

Sonny responded almost shy, looking at Will for pointers, while Ari started to struggle against the straps in her chair, 'Da' she tried again, lifting her arms up.

'I told you she missed you' Will could only smile proudly, before walking off to the stove. When he finally looked back after arrival, he noticed Sonny had finally freed his daughter from her high chair and pulled her into his arms. Ari finally stopped struggling and almost launched herself against his chest.

'Do you want coffee?' Will asked casually, while putting the pancakes on a plate. He noticed how Sonny seemed totally caught off guard and smiled slightly. 'I can take her, if she's overwhelming you a little' he offered carefully, trying to make Sonny feel comfortable in his own family again. His heart warmed when he saw how Sonny immediately tightened his grip and took a step back, as to keep someone from grabbing his daughter away again. Will lightly put up his hands and smiled broadly, 'Or not, totally fine by me too! I am sure Ari is going to be demanding your attention for a while now anyway'

He tried to make sure Sonny didn't think Will minded that, and was pleased to see Sonny simply responded with a loving smile and kiss on Ari's head, 'I missed you too, sweet pea' he reassured her softly whilst stroking her back, 'Daddy Sonny will make sure to stay around from now on, how does that sound?'

Will could only respond by grinning automatically, when their breakfast was interrupted when Will's phone started vibrating. He simply read the message T sent him and looked up apologetic, 'I'm sorry, Son, looks like T needs me at the club' he started, 'Can you manage with Ari this morning? I swear I'll be back as soon as I can?'

Sonny took a moment to process all that information, before he just look confused, 'You need to go to club TBD?' he asked again, 'as in my club?'

Will bit his lip, 'Yea, I kinda have been working there. Just helping out' he explained quickly, 'I swear I was going to tell you, but T just told me morning rush is pretty busy and Ben had to call in sick. Can we please talk about this later?'

Sonny bit his lip, hesitantly because of the familiar words, 'but what about Sonix?' he wondered.

Will interrupted the attempt to put on his jacket with a frown, 'I quit at Sonix' he answered as casually as he could, 'I couldn't combine the care of Ari and the club with my writing and it just didn't work anymore.'

He saw how Sonny's jaw tightened and put up his hands, stopping Sonny's apologetic words before he could even speak them, 'It's totally okay, Son, don't worry about it' he reassured him quickly, 'They just proved to be too inflexible when I needed them to. And in the end it was great to find out how much I actually missed working at a family bar'

He watched how Sonny observed him for a moment, clearly trying to read the sincerity of his words, before he finally nodded, 'You need me to come?' he offered. Will immediately shook his head, 'Just stay here, please. Just look after Ari, please'

Will took a step forward to kiss Ari on her head and automatically noticed how close he got to Sonny by that gesture. He hesitated for a bit, before Sonny was the first to lean forward slightly. They ended up meeting half way in an awkward yet much needed kiss, before Will really had to leave and quickly went on his way to club TBD.

##

_Sonny quietly puts the empty bottle he was holding in the crate behind the bar. The club was pretty busy on this Friday night and Sonny was quickly approached by someone to order some drinks. He smiled friendly and started on making the drinks, when he saw Adrienne enter the club. He noticed the worried face she immediately made when spotting him and he responded by a casual smile, 'Hi mum, what can I do for you?'_

_Adrienne had made her way to the bar and bit her lip, 'Sonny, what a surprise' she started hesitantly, 'Didn't know I'd find you here'_

_Sonny narrowed his eyes, 'Mum, I work here, remember?' he pointed out, trying to keep his irritation in check, 'What can I get you?'_

'_I'll have my usual' she answered, before biting her lip, 'On second thought, I'll have an orange juice'_

_Sonny shot her an unimpressed look, but decided against calling her out. He had too much on his mind already and just wanted to make his way back to his office as soon as possible. _

'_I dropped by your apartment this afternoon, just wanted to give Ari a cuddle. Already didn't understand why no one was there' Adrienne started, sipping her juice casually. _

_Sonny rolled his eyes, 'Will and I are busy, like every normal couple. I'm working my ass off here and Will is writing a new article for Sonix' he defended his husband, 'I could've warned you if you'd call beforehand'_

_Adrienne didn't respond in words, but gave him a meaningful glance when she sipped her juice again. Sonny took a breath, 'Mum, I don't have time for this' he spoke up, 'I've got a business to run. So why don't you just say what you want to say'_

_Adrienne nodded and put her glass back on the counter, 'I'm just worried, Sonny. You were in the hospital' she tried explaining, 'And I just have a bad feeling with you and Will continuing to live such separated lives'_

_Sonny looked at her with a clear defeated glance in his eyes, showing her he was still the broken guy he was weeks ago, before he took a sigh, 'Will and I are fine, mum' he responded a line he'd spoke so often before, 'We're just both busy'_

_Adrienne didn't speak, but her eyes spoke volumes, responding in Sonny to take a step back, 'Mum, I don't know what you want me to say. I don't have time for this' he hissed, before making his way back to his office. When Adrienne dared look back, she saw how T looked at her with a similar worried look on his face. _

_At the same moment, in the office, Sonny couldn't help but let a gulp of liquor burn down his throat again. Closing his eyes and letting the numb feeling spread, pretending that all was fine. _

_##_

Will hesitantly opened the door to his apartment. He knew he was late, at least later than he'd anticipated on coming home. When opening the door, he immediately spotted Sonny in the middle of the room, cleaning up a game of Twister. When he heard the door, he looked up.

'I'm sorry I'm late' Will immediately started with his apology. Sonny shook his head, 'It's fine' he answered, closing the box, 'You just missed Ari though'

Will pouted, 'She's already asleep?' he said surprised.

Sonny smiled, 'She was out as soon as her head hit the pillow' he told Will, 'I think our game of Twister tired her out'

'You do have to explain to me at some point how you manage to play Twister with a toddler' Will grinned, 'she surely handed me the box countless of times when you were gone'

Sonny responded with a flat smile, making Will to bite his lip immediately, 'How's the club?'

'Busy' Will responded, before letting himself fall down on the couch, 'How was home?'

'Great' he smiled automatically, 'So good to have a day with Ari again'

Will smiled, looking around the room for a second, 'Shall I make you some dinner?'

Sonny couldn't help but snort, 'You want to cook?' he pointed out with a grin, 'And what are you planning on making?'

Will crossed his arms in protest, 'I can cook' he shot back with a smile. Sonny shot him an unimpressed look and Will let out a breath, 'Okay, I can do pancakes. And put stuff in the oven'

Sonny let himself fall down on the couch next to Will and looked at him, 'Shall we order take out?' he suggested.

Will nodded, 'Please' he answered, getting back up on his feet, 'How about you order while I change quickly?'

Sonny responded by getting their take out menus, before Will left him alone in the living room. He quickly scolded himself for clearly being relieved that things seemed fine back home, as if he was expecting to find Sonny wasted on their couch just a day after getting back from rehab. He needed to trust his husband, he knew, but at the same time he couldn't help but be so incredibly worried about him.

##

_Sonny didn't even know what time it was when he got back to his apartment. T had closed the club a few hours before, but Sonny decided to stay back to do some 'paperwork'. He knew better than to get home too early. First of all it would mean he'd be in an empty house, second of all it would mean he'd no liquor around he could take without it being noticed. He was pretty sure Will was keeping their stuff under lock and key. He couldn't even remember how many drinks he had before he knew he had to get home to avoid a drunken night in his office, as that would certainly alert the people around him. He opened the front door as quietly as he could and was quick to leave his key and jacket on the desk nearby. He started to make his way through the dark room to reach his bedroom, when the light suddenly went on and he saw Will looking at him with an unimpressed glance from his position on the couch._

'_Why were you in the dark?' he said the first thing that came to mind, scratching his neck awkwardly._

_Will narrowed his eyes, 'I was waiting for you. T told me he'd left two hours ago' he simply shot back, 'How much have you had to drink tonight?'_

_Sonny let out a breath, 'I don't know what..' he started, but Will got up with a look that silenced his poor attempt of covering up. _

'_Don't lie to me, Son' he hissed, 'You have been drinking again, maybe even since the day you've been home'_

_Son bit his lip, 'I might have had a drink, Will, ONE drink. What's wrong with that? Don't tell me you never had a glass since you came back to Salem'_

'_I'm not the one who was hospitalized with an alcohol poisoning' Will pointed out, 'Besides, we both know it hasn't been one drink. Various people have told me they've noticed you drinking, not to mention the stack of empty bottles T found in your office this afternoon'_

_Sonny couldn't help but let out a sigh, 'Others' he let out, 'others have pointed out'_

_Will bit his lip, but shot his eyes down with a guilty expression, 'I know I've been busy with work, but that doesn't mean you couldn't. Son, I'm worried about you'_

_Sonny rolled his eyes, 'be honest, Will' he shot back, 'You're worried about your reputation. You're worried people will realize your husband isn't freaking perfect'_

_Will took a step forward, but was only rewarded with Sonny taking a step back and putting his own arms around him, 'Son, please talk to me' he tried again, almost pleading._

_Sonny couldn't help but lash out and started laughing bitterly, 'What do you want me to say? That I love the numbness I get when I drink? That I love how it makes me forget?' he started ranting, 'Or that it makes me feel like I'm in control for once, that I can relax for a bit and don't have to face all that pressure'_

_Will watched Sonny talk and tried to approach him again, creating a fire in his eyes he hadn't seen since that night before he was hospitalized, 'You left me, Will, you left me all alone. You left me while my business is failing, while my best friend is stabbing me in the back. You left me to fend for myself, making sure I knew how much of a disappointment our marriage was to you. So you don't get to come here and judge me.'_

_Will closed his eyes for a second as the words struck and felt a silent tear roll over his cheek, 'I'm so sorry, Sonny. I know I let you down and I want to do everything I can to make it up to you. Just talk to me, tell me what to do?'_

_He saw Sonny's chin tighten and waited for Sonny to lash out again, 'You want to know what to do?' he spat, 'Stop with the innocent act, Will. Stop with the empty apologies. Just leave already and just let me be'_

_##_

Just days after Sonny's second homecoming things were still tense. Will tried to avoid long workdays and really make sure he'd be there for Sonny this time, but he still felt like Sonny was slipping away. He barely communicated, he practically turned into a hermit and spend most time playing with Ari. Will couldn't help but worry as Sonny clearly was nothing like the husband he was before.

That night, he came home to a messy house and found Sonny asleep on the couch. He felt his chest tighten and immediately his eyes gazed through the mess, trying to find anything out of the ordinary. When he didn't find any initial evidence, he couldn't help but walk into the kitchen and open the second cupboard, crouching down and counting the bottles. He heard some sound behind him and stopped his movements, only to hear a breath of air being released behind him, 'You're not seriously doing this right now' Sonny spoke, in a clearly disappointed voice.

Will dared to look up from his position and felt his heart fall when he saw the betrayal he read in his husbands eyes, 'I..' he started, but didn't even know what to say.

'I know what you were doing, Will' Sonny pointed out unnecessary, 'Of course I do. What I don't understand is why you didn't just ask me. Asked me if I had a drink'

Will bit his lip, but felt like it wouldn't be right to say something right now. So finally, Sonny responded, 'No would've been the answer'.

For a minute they just stayed there, looking at each other, until Sonny let out an elated breath again, 'Have you been doing this every day? Is that how you think of me now?'

Will closed his eyes, but shook his head, 'Of course not' he tried to reassure him, 'I don't know what came over me. Something just felt off and I just..'

'Ari's been sick today. She's been either crying hysterically or puking all over the place, so that's why the place is a mess. I was exhausted and so I fell asleep straight after Ari did.' Sonny continued.

Will waited a moment to respond and finally got up from his position and sighed, 'I'm sorry, Son. I should've asked you' he started his apology, 'I'm just so worried about you'

He saw how Sonny took a step back and shook his head, 'I can't do this' he interrupted, 'I can't do this again. Not again'

Will bit his lip and finally nodded, 'Okay, I'm sorry. Just talk to me then. What do you want me to do?'

Sonny observed him for a second, but didn't answer. Finally he just shrugged and looked down. Will frowned, 'Dammit, Sonny' he tried again, 'Please let me in! Let me help you'

'What do you want me to say?' Sonny finally responded, looking up with questioning eyes. Will felt his heart break at how lost Sonny looked, but knew he couldn't back down now, 'You need to talk this out, scream it if you must! Dammit Sonny, just tell me what you feel!'

For a moment, it looked like Sonny was trying to form the words in head, before he finally let his shoulders hang again and shook his head, 'I can't' he almost whispered.

Will took a step forward, an act of both hope and despair and put his hand on Sonny's shoulder, 'Why? Why can't you tell me?' he asked gently.

'Because I'm afraid you'll leave' Sonny finally let out, before his eyes started watering. Will, however, only could see the first tear fall as Sonny was quick to step back and wipe his eyes. Before he really know what was happening, he heard the door close and realized he was alone in the room.

##

'_I'm afraid I can't do that' Will answered calmly, before taking a step forward, 'So why don't you sit down and we'll have a talk'_

_Sonny huffed, 'Now you want to talk' he sneered._

_Will just nodded, trying his best to stay calm, 'Sit down, Sonny'_

_Sonny let out a breath, but finally followed Will back to the couch. He sat down and by then Will started talking again. How he'd looked it up and thought Sonny could use a break. Some time to clear his head, to talk to people and to get his thoughts back into order. He showed Sonny the flyer he'd picked up earlier today and saw Sonny's eyes getting wide. _

'_I'm not.. I don't' he started with a clear panic, but Will just grabbed his hands and stopped him, 'I'm not labeling anything' he assured Sonny for a moment, 'But I think you need time, you need space'_

_Sonny let him explain how he spoke to their families, how they all promised to help out where they could and how he just had to make a call to get the arrangements done. For a moment, Sonny didn't speak and just looked at their joined hands, the way they hadn't been since Will left all those weeks before, and nodded. Will was quick to call and then everything just went in a haze. They both got up to pack his bag, they walked over to Ari's bedroom to give Sonny a chance to spend some time with his baby girl, before there finally was a knock on their door. Will opened to find a clearly emotional Adrienne who immediately pulled him in for a hug. _

_Will walked back into Ari's room and found Sonny in her bouncing chair, Ari sound asleep against his chest, 'Will, I was thinking' he started, giving him a pleading look 'I don't think it's a good idea.. I'll try to stop... Or I mean I'll stop… I really will! Please don't make me..'_

_Will crouched down next to him and grabbed his hands once more, 'Son, please don't do this. We both know it's what you need'. He leaned up to wipe a tear from Sonny's cheek when his eye fell on the picture frame behind them on the windowsill. He took it and placed it in Sonny's hands, 'I want you to take this, just so you know this is why you are doing this. And so you know who you'll have to come home too' _

_Sonny let his finger go over his favorite picture of the three of them and finally nodded once again. Will just leaned in closer and pressed his lip against his husbands', trying not to wonder how long it'll be until he'd be able to do that again. _

_##_

Will didn't know how long he'd been staring out in the dark, going over all there'd been said and done, before he finally heard the door open again hours later. He tried to resist the urge to look up immediately, but failed after only a few seconds. His eyes met Sonny's brown ones and he bit his lip before shuffling further into the room, 'I didn't have a drink' he started off, 'I almost did, but didn't'

Will nodded and gestured on the empty spot on the couch besides him, 'I didn't leave' he then spoke softly, 'thought didn't even cross my mind'

Sonny bit his lip for a moment, but finally sat down next to Will. They sat next to each other in silence for a moment, until Will was the first to look besides him, 'I meant that, Sonny' he assured his husband, 'I'm not leaving'

Sonny kept his gaze on the floor and sighed, 'You did before' he pointed out, 'you keep on leaving me and making our marriage the least priority on your list'

Will took a breath and nodded, 'I know I left you before and I have made you go through a lot alone. I just want to make you see that that's over now. I'm here to stay'

Sonny didn't respond immediately, and Will just grabbed his hands, 'I know you don't believe me, Son, and I don't blame you' he spoke sincere, 'I'm just going to prove it to you from now on. Not just by words, but by actions'

Sonny bit his lip for a moment and Will squeezed his hands lovingly, 'You don't have to say anything' he pointed out. Sonny finally met his eyes and Will could read the questions in his eyes, the ones he was too scared to ask. So Will decided to finally speak his mind too and took a breath.

'I guess that with everything that happened the past months, with Gabi, my mum & EJ and even with Abby, I just felt like things were slipping away. I just kept on waiting for the next shoe to drop, as I've been experiencing all my life. And then there was you, perfect as always and I just started noticing how I still wasn't anything near what you deserved. It scared me and it might even made me become a little envious of you. I just got this urge to become the best version of myself I could be, be the best writer I could be'

He stopped talking when Sonny let go of his hand, 'Pretty ironic how you'd consider me perfect back then, and look at the mess that is left now'

Will smiled warmly, 'Still pretty perfect to me, I assure you' he spoke honestly, 'I'm in awe with your strength and your determination'

Sonny smiled, though watery and took a breath, 'I meant what I said in my vows, Will, when I called you my anchor. And without you here, I felt lost. Not just because I had to handle everything by myself, but mainly because you expressed how unhappy you were in being my husband, how unhappy I made you. The most important part of my life made you feel insignificant and boring. Even now, you say you wanted to be the best version of yourself, the best writer, but you tried to achieve that by being a crappy husband. That really hurt me'

Will let Sonny's words hurt him for a moment, before nodding, 'I can understand, and I can't tell you how sorry I am for all that. But I don't want you to worry as I realized long ago that I was wrong. Even if I get to be the best writer in the whole world, it would mean nothing to me if I can't share it with you. You are the one who makes everything worthwhile, you are the one I desire to make proud above everyone else'

In a moment, Sonny just grabbed his hand again and squeezed it softly, 'Then, Will, you're an idiot. Because you should know by now I value you most because you're such a loving, kind man. Because you are an amazing dad and you took pride in being my husband. The fact that you have an amazing writing talent is just an added bonus'

Will let his words sink in and realized once again how much he'd let Sonny down. A silent tear rolled down his cheek until Sonny surprised him by wiping if away lovingly with his thumb , 'I think that's enough of those for now' he spoke softly, 'Why don't we see how we'll get on from here? How to be Will and Sonny again?'

Their eyes met and for the first time in months, they believed they were going to be okay.

##

_Sonny stopped pushing the Ari's stroller as he suddenly realized where his absent mind had taken him. He started out with a simple walk around the park as he had been doing for the last couple of days, but somehow ended up in front of club TBD today. He took a small breath, but finally decided to get in. _

_There were some tables occupied with people drinking coffee, clearly morning rush had passed and Sonny noticed T behind the bar. He greeted him with a smile and didn't even have to formulate the question as he already heard a familiar voice behind him gasp, 'Sonny'_

_He greeted will with a smile and moved to unbuckle Ari, 'We ended up here after our walk, hope we're not interrupting?'_

_Will moved forward eagerly and shook his head, holding his hand out to take Ari. The little girl, however, immediately indicated that she wanted to walk. He knew Sonny was not to know and put her on the floor, where she immediately did her adorable toddler walk towards behind the bar. Sonny looked at him confused for a moment, when she was pulled up by T and grinned big, 'Tee' she announced happily, as if introducing him to her daddies. Sonny couldn't help but smile, as Will bit his lip, 'She's kinda been here a lot, when you were away'_

_Sonny nodded, 'I can tell' _

'_A lot of people pitched in to help us out though, both in the club as in the house' Will rambled nervously, 'I couldn't have done it without them'_

'_That's true' T confirms, while Ben took over his spot behind the bar and helped a customer, 'Though I think the guide you left for the floor managers helped him best.'_

_Will nodded with a grin, 'Those were pretty helpful, can't believe how detailed your descriptions were. Just like the books, they were so clear and I could pretty much continue where you left' he explained, 'Thank god for your control issues' _

_Sonny felt his cheeks redden , when they were interrupted once again as his parents entered the club. He read the surprise in their faces and stepped forward, 'Will still won't allow me to work' he reassured them with a wink, 'I'm just visiting, brought Ari to visit her.. well, her uncle T it seems'_

_Adrienne grinned, 'it's good to see you here though, you look well. You both do' she spoke, sending both boys a warm smile._

_Sonny smiled back warmly, reaching back and feeling how Will was right behind him so he took his hand automatically. After a moment, Justin was the first to come back to business, 'Will, I brought those papers you requested' he explained, 'Maybe Adrienne can take over Ari so Sonny can join us?'_

_Will saw how a confused Sonny looked back and forth between his father and Will and tried to reassure him with a hand squeeze, 'I asked your dad to go over some papers. The contracts of the clubs and stuff' he tried explaining, before Sonny just decided to follow them into the office. There Justin started explaining that Will asked him to go over his partnership with Chad and the stuff that went on in the second club. Will hadn't told him before, but apparently Chad was more than willing to take over for his partner when he was away. All too willing, they all thought and so uncle Victor had recommended Justin to look into the papers. _

'_I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, I didn't want to worry you' Will apologized, after Justin had finished his story. Sonny smiled flatly, 'I can't believe you did all this' he just responded, 'What happened to the new club?'_

'_We wanted to wait for you to make a decision. Uncle Victor made sure you won't be bothered by Chad anymore though, as he bought all his shares'_

_Sonny's eyes got wide, but before the first word of protest could come out of his mouth, Justin interrupted him, 'He wouldn't have it any other way, Sonny' he tried to calm him down, 'Said it would be a small price to pay to keep his nephew debt free'_

_Sonny saw the pleading look Will was giving him and decided to bite his tongue, 'I can't believe you did all this' he repeated, clearly defeated, 'I made such a mess of all of it'_

'_I think in this case, Chad did' Justin spoke clearly, 'he clearly hasn't been your best friend and trustworthy business partner for a while now. I think it's safe to assume he's been sabotaging your second club from the beginning'_

'_I am sorry Son' Will spoke up, squeezing Sonny's hand lovingly, 'but we'll figure it out'_

_Sonny didn't speak for a moment, until he finally let out a sigh and nodded slightly, 'Together' he added softly. _

_Justin took that as his cue to leave, before suggesting they'd talk about it further at the Mansion with uncle Vic there too, to which both boys simply nodded. When they heard the office door close again, they finally looked at each other again and Sonny smiled, 'I can't believe you did all this for me. You really stepped up when I needed you, you did better than I could've'_

_Will smiled, 'I'll do anything for you, I hope you realize that by now' he responded._

'_I don't even know how to thank you..' Sonny started, but Will interrupted him with a headshake, 'You don't need to thank me, I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat'_

'_Even with all the drama?' Sonny reacted with a playful smile Will hadn't seen in a long time. He responded with a grin, 'Let's not do any drama for a bit, how does that sound?'_

'_That sounds perfect' Sonny smiled, while leaning in for a kiss, 'Perfect's the word'._


End file.
